Look, there’s a crocodile!When was the last time you were at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz? Right, this crossover from Mitte to Prenzlauer Berg between Volksbühne and Senefelder Platz never really managed to shake off that everlasting feeling of transit. Kaffee Burger leads you right to Torstraße, White Trash moved to Treptow last year and the Platoon Kunsthalle will have to leave in the forseable future, too. But if you take a closer look, you’ll realise that this is exactly what Berlin is: a place always in the making, never being. Right on the corner of Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, in the colossal black building there’s KASCHK – a great craft beer bar –, the vacant lot next door has also just been filled, and heading towards Volksbühne is where you’ll find a hidden paradise for design and interior enthusiasts door to door to a Spätkauf. Although the „Amazing Crocodile“ is decorated with bright colours, it seems almost hidden behind the small hedge on the roadside. That might be the reason why the store opened by Jana Kubischik last May, is still to be discovered by the masses. Whoever finds their way here though, will be rewarded with decorative, useful, practical and beautiful things beyond compare. Just look at that giant wool-poodle in the window! Did you see the matchbox keychain next to the hand-knotted carpet? The product range includes furniture, lamps, glassware, ceramics, textiles and accessories, including many small-scale series and individual pieces. As a platform for young design, The Amazing Crocodile Design Store also exhibits artists still unknown in Germany. The exhibits change every few months. In September, Jana will be showing work by Muller Van Severen and screen prints by Christoph Niemann are to follow in October. Still wondering about the shop’s name? Well, that’s something Jana’s children came up with: „Look, there’s a crocodile!“ Wonder where they got that from… The Amazing Crocodile Design Store| Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 49, 10178 Berlin | Mon-Fri 12-7pm, Sat 12-6pm | amazing-crocodile.de |
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Look, there’s a crocodile!
That’s Amore
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That’s AmoreThe secret of a verace pizza napoletana artigianale – a genuine Neapolitan style pizza – lies in its ingredients: First there is the dough. It must be thin, handled with care and given plenty of time to rest, to then be baked to absolute perfection at the highest possible temperature in the shortest possible time. Secondly: a few, yet excellent and perfectly matched toppings. Creating pizza is like mixing cocktails – harmony and balance are the key. Third: the oven. An authentic wood fired oven is essential. And last but not least: L.O.V.E. Florian Schramm is definitely in on the secret. His pizza joint STANDARD in Prenzlauer Berg has set a new standard in Berlin for the forbidden food of the gods. Authentic quality, good ingredients mixed with regional specialities, a dash of charm and a pinch of flaming Napoli – the pizzaiolo is from Naples and learned his craft at the Associazione Verace Pizza napoletana, the world’s leading pizza academy. Each creation is spectacular, aromatic, crispy, baked for a mere 60 seconds at 500 degrees and covered with delicious sun-ripened and hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, Fior di Latte or wild boar salsiccia. People, this is seriously good pizza. And that is why we’re coming here for the next muxmäuschenwild FAMILY STYLE event. We want to eat and drink our way through the menu with you, have a good time and enjoy the Italian way of life. Book your place at our table —25 bucks and you’re good to go. Send an email to familystyle@muxmaeuschenwild.de. Buon appetito! ____ Standard Serious Pizza | Templiner Straße 7, 10119 Berlin | Tue-Fri 5-12pm, Sat-Sun 1-12pm | standard-berlin.de |
Fo‘ schnizzle
Fo‘ schnizzle!Schnitzel is the new burger. Say whaaat?! Yup. After trying out the Schnitzelbude in Mitte, there is really no other way to put it. That Schnitzel was pretty damn good. David Wiedemann, born and raised in Berlin, has already proven more than once that he has a knack for trendy gastronomy concepts: Reingold, Barroom and the deli Stulle mit Brot are all his creations. His latest coup is the wood panelled joint on Oranienburger Str. serving an outstanding Viennese Schnitzel. The menu also features a turkey schnitzel, a kids and veggie version (oyster mushrooms with mountain cheese – amen!), yummy sides and a good selection of beers and softdrinks – the credo here being quality rather than quantity. The Schnitzelbude is opened Tuesday–Sunday from 6.pm till 3am and, believe it or not, it has come to stay! Nuff said. So, if you’re already licking your lips, send an email titled „BRRREADCRRRUMBS“ to hurra@muxmaeuschenwild.de – we’re giving away a meal for two. Dig in!
Schnitzelbude | Oranienburger Str. 46, 10117 Berlin (opposite Tacheles) | Tue–Sun, 6pm–3(!)am | www.schnitzel-bude.de | Facebook |
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Very Schee!
Very Schee!Anyone who has ever scoured the depths of the world wide web searching for great art to decorate their walls has most certainly come across SCHEE’s online shop (www.schee.net) If not, get a move on! The selection of high-quality prints by well-known and still unknown artists is unique: there are more than 200 magnificent artworks by graphic designers and illustrators from around the world to choose from. Go to www.schee.net and click through the gallery shop. Since September 2014, you can also admire the wonderful pieces at the store in Cologne. A few weeks ago, shop number two opened at Rosenthaler Straße in Berlin. The other day, when were strolling from Rosenthaler Platz headed for „Kauf dich glücklich“, we suddenly found ourselves in front of the huge glass windows staring at walls full of pictures, wonderful furniture and abundance of lovely handmade pieces. The shop has been lovingly decorated and just when you think you’ve seen everything you’ll discover something new. The staff is so incredibly patient, friendly and helpful that you’ll briefly have to consider what city you’re currently in. So, if you’re looking for a gift – no matter the occasion – you’ll be to sure to find it at SCHEE. Good luck to shop and team – we’ll be dropping by more often! |
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Dude’s Delight.
| Dude’s Delight
„Brooklyn Soap Co. is having a pre-opening party. There will be good food to nosh on, drinks to get shwasted on, and some sick furniture from BoConcept to take fly selfies on. So come by, say „hi“, and have a toast with us.“ Well, we couldn’t have said it any better. Our friends from the Brooklyn Soap Company are opening their first pop-up shop — right smack in the middle of Hamburg facing the Alster harbour. The opening, er, pre-opening, will kick off at 6 p.m. with plenty of drinks, snacks and the whole shebang. The lads have already proven their knack for good design more than once: they won the Red Dot Design Award for product design and their stand at Vivaness was so beautiful it made you want to move right in. And now it’s time for their own place, if only temporarily. Those dapper dudes got BoConcept to style up their store and the walls are hung with pictures taken by celebrity photographer Thomas Heinze. Not bad! Hamburg and Brooklyn – this is where it all happens. Ladies and Gents, come on over and enjoy the party! |
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Berlin. Festival.
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Berlin. Festival.Dear Berlin Festival, we like you. Really, we do. You’re just like the city – imperfect, somehow unfinished, a bit higgledy-piggledy with a little improvisation here and there. You were somewhat in over your head at times and in the end you had to clear the airfield for the more posh and prestigious. But we like you – you’re like us. You have joy in things, love music and arts, appreciate good food, put your heart and soul into things and always keep your chin up. Relocating to the Arena Park was a good move. Here, there is still that taste of subculture; barbeques are smoking and people dancing till sunrise. After all signs of the latest major event, tradeshow and whatnot in Tempelhof have long vanished, you’ll still be going strong. This weekend and for the 10th time ‚round, we will be celebrating you – the only Berlin Festival that truly does this city justice. Over 60 different painters, sculptors and graffiti artists will be showcasing their work in the Art Village. There’ll be White Trash Fast Food, jesters, jugglers and travelling folk and a sublime electronic line-up: Underworld, Fritz Kalkbrenner, James Blake, Atari Teenage Riot, Chet Faker and Róisín Murphy – just to name a few. All of this on the banks of the Spree between GDR watchtower relics and the Oberhafenkantine for a bargain 79 Euros. We daresay that this is as Berlin as it gets. Tomorrow, it all starts with the official Festival Pre-Party at IPSE. Weather permitting from 6 p.m. out on deck, the indoor area opens at 11 p.m. Festival ticket holders have free admission, everyone else gets in for a mere 5 bucks. Oh, what a marvellous feast it will be! |
Do stay a while, it is so beautiful.
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Do stay a while, it is so beautiful.Once upon a time, there were three friends. They had had enough of virtual market spaces at changing online start-ups. They felt the need to be closer to the product, closer to the people. The need to keep things simple: exchange of money for goods, a good ol’ chinwag topped off with an old fashioned handshake. Longing for the real deal, they did what they had to do: they found a beautiful empty historic post office building, filled it with the most stunning and unusual products they could get their hands on, organized a Christmas Design Market and finally opened an authentic and to-the-core General Store (Guessing this will be a new Berlin favourite!). Located on Tempelhofer Ufer, Hallesches Haus itself is a wonderful place and well worth a trip. And with all the work Jillian, Oliver and Michelle have put (and are still putting) into it you’ll never want to leave. Lovely furniture made in Berlin showcases manufacturers and their products, such as the incredible Juniper Ridge room scents, the absolutly beautiful Future Maps and lovely paper jewels made by Wednesday Paper Works as well as classics like Opinel knives and outdoor dishware by Stanley. Fill up on freshly brewed coffee, homemade sandwiches, salads and sweets in the restaurant. Part of the area is available to rent as an event location aswell. Since March, Hallesches Haus is open from 9 a.m.–7.p.m. and things will really get moving in June. A fully equipped kitchen offering a complete menu, an enlarged venue space and changing events will surely turn this gem into the next Berlin hotspot in no time. So shop – and eat – till ya drop! |
Shhhhhh, it’s a secret!
| Shhhhhh, it’s a secret!
So, what’s the deal with all these symbols popping up all over lately? Little alien-like trees – actually kind of unsettling but just as promising – either glued, sprayed or hanging in numerous hip and feel-good places. The good news is: we know what it’s all about AND we are going to tell you. (It’s been a well kept secret up until now, but we just can’t help ourselves – it’s too good!) From August 14th–16th, the very first Secrets Festival will take place somewhere secret (duh!) just outside Berlin. It’s going to be unlike anything and better than everything else so far. Surrounded by water, meadows, a beach, woods, hills and clearings, the makers of the festival are creating a parallel universe full of music, art, fashion and design, food, sports and workshops, tipis and houseboats, with cocoons hanging from trees, sculptures, light installations, visuals and performances. For three days, German bands and international singer/songwriters will be playing a mixture of pop, synthpop, indie, jazz-rock-fusion, jazz-funk, neo soul and Britpop. They’ll be performing on wonderfully decorated and converted stages sponsored by partners such as TV NOIR, Neue Heimat, Hackmode and Suol. Minimal electro, electro funk, easy listening, hip-hop and house will be sounding from the decks and there’ll be tons of live performances from chamber orchestras, street musicians or ambience & world music acts, all of them hiding in the midst of the forest while sound and nature intertwine. Among others, Roosevelt, Leslie Clio and The Acid are on board. Headlining acts are … umm, still a secret of course. (You get the theme here?) Ben Bommer (Parker Bowles, Neue Heimat) put together the food concept and also got Schneeweiß to set up a stall with their delicious food. Sip on dapper drinks from the BOOZE BAR (this year’s Mixology Bar Awards winner), dance the night away and then get centred again with some morning yoga and massages. The Secrets Festival wants you to enjoy yourself: let it linger, join the fun, crank it up or just wind down – whatever makes you happy. This idea is so in sync with the spirit of our times you ask yourself why anybody hasn’t thought of this before. So, say goodbye to passed out drunks, yucky smells and shower-time outs. Hello nature, family camping, outdoor art gallery and pop-up dinner on the riverbank! If Utopia existed, this is probably what it would look like. Catch the virtual vibe on www.secrets-festival.com (access code: S8MPSK7Z) and pre-order your ticket. Official sales start soon. We’ll see you in the clearing, where – to the rhythm of the music – the sun glistens through the treetops just to put a smile on our faces. |
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Can you feel it?
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Can you feel it?You know that moment when you are all there, completely at ease with yourself – content, grounded, balanced. The moment you free yourself from anything that keeps you small, feeling your greatness, your strength and your potential. The moment you truly feel your environment and feel connected. The moment you realize you can achieve anything and everything you need to do so already lies within you. This is exactly what Somuchmore is all about. It’s about unwinding, making progress, finding your true self. Earlier this year, Somuchmore launched their holistic platform for fitness, health, nutrition and mindfulness in Berlin. One single card gives you access to the city’s best gyms and yoga studios so you can choose from different coaches, classes and workshops and, and, and – without signing up or worrying about long-term membership contracts. Exercise your body, mind and soul – anytime and anyplace – try new things or follow your favourite yogi. This concept has been so successful, that Somuchmore’s service is now also available in Hamburg, Munich and London. More cities throughout Germany and Europe will follow soon. (The card grants cross-city admission, too!) And since everything has been happening so quickly, there’s not even been time to say hello properly. That’s no way to start an inspiring friendship, is it? Somuchmore wants to make up for that and is inviting you to the Somuchmore Holistic Days so everyone can get acquainted. Three days in three cities – devoted to inspiration, experiences and self-awareness (Munich – May 10th, Hamburg – May 16th, Berlin – May 17th). Mind-expanding activities and inspiring guest contributions about attentiveness, nutrition and fitness encourage to participate and share thoughts, give an interesting insight and provide absolutely useful ideas for a daily development of body, mind and spirit. The agenda follows Somuchmore’s principle that we can only fully reach our potential and truly find ourselves trough a combination of motion, mindfulness, a conscious diet and a certain joie de vivre. Have the experts put your workout schedule together for you on site, boost your energy with smoothies and get to know coaches and cooperating studios. We’ll be there too! |
Prêt á manger.
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Prêt á mangerEverybody is talking about vegan cuisine. And so they should. Overeating on cheap meat makes you fat, slow, ill, kills living creatures and destroys the climate. Vegetables are healthy and good and yummy. So far so good – but that’s not the whole story. Anyone who has ever seen the vast and sheer endless horizon of greenhouse colonies and vegetable farms in Almeria, Spain, get’s an idea of how little the reality of our food industry has to do with the romantic illusion of advertisement. There is no question that our approach on food has got lost somewhere in society’s quest for more convenience, more speed and more profit. Yes, it’s a fact that not everything veggie is good, not everything labelled organic makes it a good thing per se. But how do we eat right? How do we eat naturally without being held in dogmatic shackles? Yesterday, May 5th, THE BOWL – Berlin’s first Clean Eating Restaurant – opened on Warschauer Straße in Friedrichshain, serving 100% natural food in bowls. The food concept goes far beyond a merely vegan diet. Raw and cooked food is prepared and served in a creative way, without any trans fats, white sugars or artificial additives. Instead all dishes are plant based, vegan, organic and natural, gluten free and made with essential ingredients such as coconut or palm oil. Each Bowl reflects the play of textures and unusual combinations, but above all, it displays the love of pure and wholesome food. Only fresh and untreated vegetables and fruit – as they were created naturally – are processed in THE BOWL’S kitchen. High Vibe Lifestyle is the flavour. It’s about making conscious decisions in every aspect of our daily lives, boosting our personal energy level, increasing strength, balance and wellbeing. Easily done, healthy and full of power. Nature is our guru. THE BOWL is located on the 1st floor above Veganz and Goodies on Warschauer Straße – and that’s no coincidence: The creators of The Bowl are the guys behind Goodies (who are now managing up to 10 outlets throughout Germany) and have taken things a step further by opening this restaurant. Just goes to show what healthy food can do for you. We’re hungry and on our way! |
